Gareth Southgate felt his trust in youth paid dividends after watching his Three Lions youngsters guide England past Senegal and into the World Cup quarter-finals.
Nineteen-year-old Jude Bellingham provided steel and energy in midfield while Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden – selected ahead of Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish – contributed the craft as England won 3-0 at Al Bayt Stadium.
The result sets up a mouthwatering quarter-final clash against defending champions France on Saturday.
Bellingham and 22-year-old Foden enjoyed assists for the first two England goals, scored by Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane, while 21-year-old Saka scored the third from another Foden cross.
It amounted to a satisfying night for manager Southgate, with Bellingham particul…
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez believes Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at the club despite interest from Manchester United and Monaco.
Ronaldo has averaged a goal a game since arriving at the club in 2009 from United and was the driving force asMadrid broke the dominance of Barcelona by winning the La Liga title in 2011-12.
He has continued to be an influential figure within the side this term, but in September Ronaldo announced he was unhappy in the Spanish capital, and speculation began to mount that he may leave the club at the end of the season.
With manager Jose Mourinho departing for Chelsea following a trophy-less campaign, the future of Ronaldo has again come under the spotlight as some of Europe s big spenders reportedly line up hefty bids for the Portugal in…
Former Barcelona full-back Juliano Belletti insists Luis Enrique s men are not invincible and can be knocked out of the Champions League by Arsenal.
The Liga leaders arrive in London for Tuesday s last-16 first leg on the back of a 32-game unbeaten run and with fearsome forward trio Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar in wonderful form.
They are overwhelming favourites to see off the Gunners – as they did in 2010 and 2011, as well as the 2006 final – but Belletti, who has experience of playing in England with Chelsea, cites football s unpredictability as one reason Arsenal can be optimistic.
Barcelona are not invincible. That s one of the great things in football. You can have a respected team with a lot of quality, but that doesn t make it invincib…
Real Madrid full-back Marcelo says he and the rest of the squad will fully support Cristiano Ronaldo amid speculation over his future.
The 32-year-old Portugal star has been linked with a possible move away from the Santiago Bernabeu, having reportedly been angered by a perceived lack of support from the club in the wake of allegations of tax fraud made against him.
Ronaldo has not offered any indication of his plans and the silence around his future is said to have caused some friction, particularly among supporters.
Marcelo has not spoken with his team-mate, who is missing the International Champions Cup in order to rest following Portugal s Confederations Cup campaign, but he made it clear that the squad are firmly in Ronaldo s corner.
I haven t spok…
Mauro Icardi netted an outstanding hat-trick on Sunday night as Inter Milan defeated local rivals AC Milan 3-2 in an entertaining derby at the San Siro.
A topsy-turvy game saw the two teams exchange five goals with the Nerazzurri scoring a 90th minute winner to wrap-up their first victory over their bitter rivals in four years. The win also saw the hosts continue their unbeaten start to the 2017/18 campaign having only dropped points once so far.
Irresistible Inter
Luciano Spalletti’s men were really the first to find a foothold in the game as wideman Antonio Candreva went close. The Italian shot from range and crashed the ball against the crossbar as Inter looked for an early lead.
Ex-Liverpool midfielder Suso, partnering with André Silva in the Milan atta…
Former Colombia international Juan Camilo Zuniga has announced his retirement at the age of 32.
Having started his career with Atletico Nacional in his homeland, he went on to enjoy spells with Bologna, Napoli and Siena in Italy, as well as a loan stint with Watford in England.
Zuniga made headlines at the World Cup in 2014 after he fractured a bone in Neymar s back, ending the Brazil superstar s involvement in the tournament.
After suffering an injury-plagued few years, Zuniga announced on Wednesday: Today I m thinking about my future, my family. I m stepping aside so that tomorrow, when I want to run around in the park with my children, I ll be able to do so.
…
Edinson Cavani has no plans to leave Paris Saint-Germain and wants to win the Champions League as the star forward insisted there is no problem with team-mate Neymar.
Cavani, 30, has flourished since arriving from Napoli in 2013, scoring 155 goals for PSG to be within one of equalling Zlatan Ibrahimovic s record.
The 30-year-old has also boosted his medal collection with 13, including three Ligue 1 titles but the Champions League – which PSG s hierarchy so desperately crave – has proved elusive, despite the club s lavish spending.
Neymar falls into that category – the Brazil superstar prised to the French capital in a world-record €222million deal from Barcelona in PSG s pursuit of European glory.
Cavani s relationship with Neymar has dominated he…
Market: Brentford win
Odds: 3/2 @
Looking to extend on what has been a hugely impressive run of form, a high-flying Brentford will make the trip to Watford on Saturday afternoon.
Starting with the hosts, last seen putting in another woeful display on home soil, it is fair to say that Watford find themselves at the heart of a Premier League nightmare once again. Eventually getting hit with a dreadful 3-0 drumming at the hands of Leeds, Roy Hodgson has failed to offer the Hornets any kind of boost since arriving at the club. Sat in the bottom-three and with many tipping them as the standout pick to be hit with an immediate Championship return, the one-time England boss really finds growing pressure on his shoulders. Now picking up just a single top-flight win sinc…
Prediction: Draw
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Bookmaker:
Now that we have the full line-up of 24 countries that will take part in next year s UEFA Euro 2021 tournament, it s time to turn our attention back to the UEFA Nations League. This competition, which is still in its infancy, proved last night why it can serve as such a valuable tool for teams that are looking for an alternate route into a major international tournament. Today, we re going to take a look at what should be an exciting UNL clash between two nations that are hoping to cause a stir next summer Wales and Finland.
Wales
The tale of Wales UEFA Euro 2016 journey will forever be remembered in the country, but there s a growing fear that they won t be able to live up to those heights at Euro 2021. From …
Best Odds: 4/5
Bookmaker:
Two sides who have their sights set on clinching a top-half finish this season, Steven Gerrard s side will welcome Crystal Palace to Villa Park on Sunday afternoon.
Aston Villa
Starting with the hosts, while Aston Villa might have put in a rugged display against title-chasers Liverpool earlier in the week, Steven Gerrard failed to get one over on his former club. Eventually getting hit with a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park, the former Rangers boss also saw his side s three-match unbeaten run come to an abrupt end. Still sat outside the top-half of the Premier League table, it is fair to say that Gerrard has failed to find much stability since arriving in the midlands. Despite picking up much-needed back-to-back victories wins against the rel…